International trade

Standing Committee on International Trade (CIIT)

“Recent Developments Concerning the Canada–United States Softwood Lumber Trade Dispute”

Good morning, members of the Standing Committee on International Trade, members of Parliament, and guests. My name is Lana Payne and I am President of Unifor, Canada’s largest private sector union, with more than 320,000 members across the country, working in every major sector of the Canadian economy.

Unifor members across the country have closely followed the 2024 United States election. Canada and the United States are economically interdependent. As a result, any change in U.S. policy and the U.S. economy is consequential to Canadian jobs, communities, economic sectors and trade. 

TORONTO – The union representing Bell workers questions the decision by Bell Canada Enterprises Inc. (BCE), to acquire American company Ziply Fiber following a year of devastating cuts in Canada. 

TORONTO— Unifor applauds the implementation of a 100% tariff on imported Chinese EV vehicles, effective today, and looks forward to the imposition of 25% tariffs on unfair imports of targeted Chinese steel and aluminum products, effective October 22, 2024. 

MONTREAL- Unifor, Canada's largest private sector union, today introduced the union’s vision for the future of the aerospace sector.  

Presented by Unifor National President Lana Payne and Unifor Quebec Director Daniel Cloutier the policy initiative aims to raise awareness of the union's priorities for action in industrial and workforce development at a time when the sector is struggling to regain momentum since the end of the pandemic.

Unifor has brought together experts, union leaders and rank and file union members to put together a worker-led plan for Canada's aerospace industry. Read the plan at https://aerounifor.ca/en/

Watch Unifor National President Lana Payne at the Standing Committee on International Trade today, calling for bold actions to protect Canadian jobs in EV production from China, which exploits workers and undermines fair trade practices.